SOMALI PIRATES CAPTURED!, a guest post by author Terrance Zepke

by Pineapple Press • 27th January, 2012

Six weeks ago, an Iranian fishing vessel, Al Mulahi, was seized by Somali pirates. Thanks to a quick-thinking captain and crew, the men
aided in their own rescue by dumping fuel and requesting help over the ship’s radio. The captain spoke in a language that the pirates did not understand, so they did not know that he was summoning help! Despite their suspicions of piracy, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service was not able to intervene until this week when the captain officially asked for aid. Otherwise, they might have sparked an international incident given our relations with Iran and the fact that the U.S. has been warned not to return to the region by senior Iranian defense officials. It was a coup for the international piracy task force given that fifteen Somali pirates were captured, along with their floating base and weapons cache. The best news is that none of the thirteen hostages were harmed. The war on piracy continues…